Something Good
by Psychopompina
Summary: Donna became a respected writer & lecturer. Ace Merrill ended up vilified after the desolation of Castle Rock in 1991. But once upon a time they were an aimless, bored teenage girl & the local gang leader, who struck up a strange and unlikely relationship. Ace/OC. Plenty of smut.
1. Prologue

Author's note: This story is kind of a mixture of Needful Things and The Body, as well as Stand By Me, so if some details aren't perfect I apologise. I wanted to write something novel-esque that was still erotic; so if you're into that don't worry about the long descriptive sections I will label the smut clearly ;)

New York, 1991.

This isn't easy for me to talk about. There are a lot of thoughts racing through my head these past few weeks, and honestly I haven't been sleeping. Writing things down has helped me through the darker parts of my life before, and it's the only remedy I can think of now too. A voice inside me is whispering _'Write the story. Then you'll fall asleep'._

So here goes.

I grew up in a small town in Oregon named Castle Rock. It was your typical, run-of-the-mill boring slice of Americana. The only tragedy I can remember from my youth was the case of a young boy from a neighbouring town who went missing for several days, and was later discovered dead by the train tracks. But apart from that I remember my home town in an oddly dream-like fashion; a simple and innocent place, that sometimes makes me sad and I'm not really sure why. I left Castle Rock when I had just turned 18 in 1963 to move to Portland, and then later New York; returning only sporadically to visit family or attend the wedding of an old friend. After my parents died, the last reason to return died too, and I hadn't been back since 1984.

Three weeks ago news reports broke of a mass hysteria breaking out in Castle Rock for an unknown reason, resulting in a spate of murders and suicides and the desolation of an entire community. The extent of it was almost beyond belief. I had sat in utter shock and disbelief in front of news reports and extensive articles dissecting every single detail of this unspeakable horror. My sleepy home town had become a freak show to the entire world, full of bloody and intrigue, and all the while I sat there remembering it's convenience stores, it's baseball games, the summer fair, the lake where we went swimming, the church I went to every Sunday, and the people who grew up alongside me and who formed me into the woman I eventually became.

One of several names mentioned in various reports was that of John 'Ace' Merrill; a middle-aged ex-con, petty criminal and drug addict who had seemed to have played some part in the destruction of Castle Rock and who had been killed by a bullet to the head in a stand-off with law enforcement.

I had not seen Ace in almost a decade, but when I had first heard his name mentioned I cried like a baby.

Castle Rock, 1963.

I'm not exactly sure when or how it happened, but one day a very long time ago something put me

on Ace Merrill's map. Maybe he had become bored of every other girl in our small town and was running low on options. Maybe I had somehow become more attractive mysteriously over time? (I did grow a cup size over summer break that year after all).

I had known Ace, or rather John, pretty much my entire life to some extent. Castle Rock was not a big town, and there were only a couple of schools for us kids to go to, so everyone basically grew up in daily proximity of one another. We had never been friends, nor had I ever secretly admired him from afar. He was just a guy from school and little else. Once we had been partnered up for a science project in 7th grade, and we received the very generous grade of a D for our sub par efforts. I could blame it on Ace's disregard for academic life, but honestly, science was never my strong point either. Apart from that our lives rarely intertwined. In high school we rarely had the same classes, and he stopped attending school fairly soon after starting. Outside of school he was occasionally in the background of the parties and social gatherings that I went to, but that was it. He had a reputation, along with his gang The Cobras, of being a hoodlum; boosting cars, damaging property, starting fights, drag racing and so forth, and so he wasn't at the top of the list of guys I wanted to get to know. Those types of guys are fun from a distance, but I had never been enough of a thrill seeker to try and date one.

No, the guys I had dated by the time I was seventeen (all two of them) were fairly nice, straight forward boys. There was Frankie Kelliher- the class clown -most famous for his comebacks, and that one time he fell off the bleachers during a pep rally, and John Helden, whose dad ran the local bowling alley and who had never quite left the boy scouts. Quite the spectrum, I know. To be honest, they would probably have said something similar about me. Donna: the girl whose mom once yelled at the principle during a charity bake sale. Or maybe Donna: the girl who kind of looked like Melissa Guthrie from Greyson High but with brown hair. But hopefully not Donna: that girl who got bitten by a raccoon on the class hike in middle school.

You see, I'm wasn't the hot cheerleader, or the nice girl on the homecoming committee, or the cool girl who smoked behind the cafeteria, or the smart valedictorian. I was… ok, I guess. I was fine. Outstandingly mediocre. My grades were good enough, but sometimes I got drunk at parties, and I did give John Helden my virginity after the spring fling because I thought I might be in love with him for some reason. That was the kind of girl I was. Which is why it makes no sense why Ace Merrill suddenly decided I was the next girl on his list. Unless of course he had a literal to-do list of the girls in Castle Rock in which Donna Parson was alphabetically between Heather Palmer and Georgette Perry.

I'm probably losing you in my rambling. Sorry. I will start my story now.


	2. How It All Began

It was a dry and surprisingly pleasant February day in Castle Rock. It was a Saturday, and me and a few of my friends had decided to spend our afternoon at Suzette's Diner on Brock Street. The diner was pretty full and the weather was unseasonably nice, so to accommodate the four of us we decided to sit outside while we drank our sodas and picked at our one shared basket of fries. Spirits were high; Phoebe had just gotten onto the yearbook committee and Linda had just been asked by George Garrett to go steady. There was plenty to gossip about.

Suddenly the aggressive revving of engines sounded out nearby; a telltale sign of Cobras, not unlike the rattle of a rattlesnake. One convertible car and a blue car pulled in nearby, the sounds of shouts and laughter ringing out as the young men rowdily left their vehicles. Doors slammed amid the noise, and the Cobras began making their way over to the diner.

"Oh God," Linda sighed. "Can those guys do anything without being obnoxious?"

"That Ace Merrill sure has a nice car, though," chimed Wanda.

"Wanda, don't look over," hissed Linda. "You'll only encourage them."

"They're going to make some remark anyway," I reasoned.

"Yeah, a bunch of horn-dog guys, they're always gonna try something," Phoebe backed me up.

"We won't tell Georgie on ya," I smirked.

"Well, hello there ladies!" a voice rang out nearby, just as predicted. The gang all wolf-whistled or called out as they entered the diner. We ignored them completely, although Linda noticeably stiffened during the ordeal.

"See?" said Phoebe once the guys were out of sight. "Not so bad. They're just being jerks."

"Otherwise they'd explode," I offered.

"It's not funny," Linda quietly seethed.

"It's a little funny," Wanda giggled.

And with that gossip resumed as normal, Linda quickly warming up again as she was pressed for the details of her latest date with her new beau. The Cobras were firmly out of sight and out of mind.

"I just don't know if Roger is ever going to ask me out," Phoebe sighed after a few minutes. "The tension in debate club is getting too much to handle."

"Why don't you drop a few hints?" I tried to advise. "Mention that new movie a couple of times, and he'll probably ask if you want to go."

"I think I've mentioned roller rink like eight times," she countered, slightly exasperated.

"Yeah, but maybe he can't skate?" Wanda reasoned. "Not easy to look dumb during a movie. Real easy to look dumb falling on your butt."

"Just ask Frankie, isn't that right Donna?" Linda gave me the eyebrow.

"And that was the moment I knew I would marry that boy," I laughed. Poor Frank, he would never live that pep rally fall.

While we giggled we failed to hear the jingle of Suzette's bell as the entire Cobra gang exited the diner.

"Ladies," Ace Merrill's voice interrupted our laughing. "Awful chilly day out here."

"Yeah," Eyeball Chambers interjected. "You ladies need some warming up?"

"We're fine, thank you," Linda replied emphatically. I couldn't help but feel that Linda's stiff upper lip would only encourage them.

"Well, there ain't no seats inside," Eyeball continued. The guys were now close to the table. It felt uncomfortable. The all too familiar feeling of boys needing to take space away from girls.

"You broads mind if we joined you," Ace directed the question directly to Linda, who looked visibly bristled.

"It's fine," I replied, before she could snap back. I could feel her glare as soon as the words came out. "We're almost done. You guys can have this end and we'll move down."

"That's very diplomatic of you," Ace nodded. He looked directly at me, as if he could recognise me but not recall how. "You'd give Eisenhower a run for his money."

Before we had the chance to move down, all six members of the gang had infiltrated the large picnic table we were sitting at, placing themselves in-between and all around us. It was intimidating, but I told myself that that was what they wanted. They would get a power kick out of making us girls feel powerless and then move on like the lunkheads they were. It was awful, but they would get bored soon enough if we played our cards right. I could sense Linda's outrage and Wanda's guilty thrill immediately. It was going to have to be me and Phoebe who kept everything calm. Ace had plonked himself down beside me after the Eisenhower comment, and I was determined to give him as little satisfaction as I possibly could.

"So Deb," he began. "Long time, no see. How's it going?"

"Well, I don't know how Deb is doing…" I replied, bemused. "You should go ask her, _John_."

"What?" he looked confused.

"It's Donna," I clarified. Cleary our middle school science partnership had not made a memorable impression in a young John Merrill.

"Well, shit, boys!" Ace laughed. "Turns out my grandpa ain't the only one losing his marbles."

The Cobras all laughed in unison. A waitress approached in the midst of the clamour.

"What'll be fellas?" she pulled out her notepad, all too ready to handle any rudeness or disrespect.

The Cobras called out their orders in rapid succession, one after the after, like a surprisingly well oiled machine. To my surprise, Ace was the last to chime in.

"Root beer, no. 10, no onions," he rattled off. He then eyed up the remains of our lunch.

He then looked back up at his comrades.

"Where's our manners, boys?" he grinned, before turning to the waitress who had just finished writing down the last of the order. "Another four cokes for these ladies." He gestured to our empty glasses.

"You don't have to… " Phoebe began.

"I insist," Ace cut her off. "Besides, it's on Vince."

"Hey!" Vince huffed, blindsided by his captain.

"Gee, thanks, Vince!" Wanda chimed, sitting across from him.

"Oh?" Vince snapped back to look to be caught by Wanda's happy brown doe-eyes. "Um… no problem."

A couple of the guys snickered at this, including Ace.

"Little apology for getting your name wrong, _Donna,_ " Ace nudged me, bringing my attention back to him.

"It's cool," I assured him, all too aware that these drinks were contract cokes; designed to keep our company at their table for longer than we had intended.

"Better to call me, Ace though," he suggested. "John's a little confusing nowadays."

"You got it, Ace," I gave him a thumbs, internally cringing straight afterwards. A thumbs up? What a weird, dorky thing to do. Why did I do that?

"I mean, we really ought to get going," Linda attempted, giving me a look from across the table. "It's getting late, and we've got…"

"You can stay for a little soda pop, can't you?" Eyeball Chambers stopped her. He was sitting on the outside edge of the bench, fencing her in. "I mean, seeing as it's on the way and all".

"It's just we've got a lot of homework to do," she insisted.

"What kind of homework's gotta be done on a Saturday?" he pressed.

"Yeah, Eyeball don't know much about homework," sniggered Ace. I could tell they were quite happy making Linda squirm.

"Home economics," Phoebe dived in to help. "We've got… just a bunch of sewing to do."

The excuse would have worked a little better had Phoebe chosen a class we all actually took in school, but the super manly Cobras would hardly catch on to that fact, especially since barely any of them attended school still.

"Sewing?" Eyeball raised his eyebrows, feigning enthusiasm. "Well, that sure is an important one, gals."

"Now I just feel awful for keeping you ladies here," Ace replied sardonically.

"What say you stay for a little sody-pop, though?" Eyeball offered. "And we give you a lift home, so as your not losing time walking."

"Sounds like a plan," Charlie Hogan piped up from the back.

"That sure is a nice car, Ace," Wanda chimed, clearly not at all worried or unhappy with the situation. I wanted to kick her right then and there.

"Why, thank you," Ace smirked. "How's about you ride shot gun then, doll?"

"Actually my car is a smoother ride," Vince quickly retorted.

"But it can't go fast for shit," Ace shut him down. The entire gang laughed in unison again, Vince reluctantly joining in to save face.

"What d'ya say, Don?" he then asked me directly. "You want my back seat?"

"I don't mind," I answered quietly, genuinely flummoxed.

I could feel myself involuntarily blushing. Mercifully the waitress returned at that moment, carrying an impressive amount on her thin arms to the table. The food was greeting with a cheer by the young men, and they immediately occupied themselves with consuming it, while the waitress deftly took a couple more trips back and forth to complete the order. The last to come were the four cokes.

I'm almost a little ashamed to say the following half an hour in the company of the Cobras was not a wholly unpleasant one. Wanda, always happiest in male company, enjoyed the attention she was receiving from Vince and Charlie at one end of the table, while Phoebe, the most pragmatic of us all, was more than able to keep up with Norm and Billy as they traded jibes. Linda, already devoted to her new beau, was resolutely determined to be as reserved as possible; remaining largely quiet as she sat between Norm and Eyeball.

Ace participated in the banter in a smaller capacity. It was evident he was secure enough in his status to not need to constantly chatter. And as for me, I joined in, though not as assured as Phoebe, who had plenty of practice being the sister of four brothers. I found the unfamiliar energy of the gang oddly refreshing, I think. They were not, as I had assumed, as hardline unpleasant as 'hoods' were supposed to be. They were fun and funny in their own way, far more daring than any of the boys we usually hung around with, and yet not as threatening now as they ate their junk food.

"So, Don," Ace had decided to speak to me directly now. "What you been up to since middle school?"

"High school, actually," I joked. "I don't know if you're familiar."

"I've dabbled," he shrugged. I laughed a little, despite myself. That was funny. He was funny. "But I bet you're one of those straight-A girls."

"Damn, you got me," I feigned disappointment. "I thought I could hide it by constantly get B's and C's, but you sure got me pegged."

"I'm sharper than I look," he grinned. "Grades aren't the only way to prove you're smart."

"Can you please say that to my mom?" I tried to laugh.

"Sure thing. When we drop you gals off I'll walk right up to her and tell her myself."

It was around this time the penny dropped and I realised that Ace was flirting with me. That might make me seem dumb or oblivious to you, but honestly I wasn't expecting it. I hadn't spoken to Ace since middle school; It hadn't even subconsciously been on my mind that I might run into him and his friends today. The fact that he had taken a sudden shine to me caught me off guard. I mean, I had it on good authority from my ex-boyfriends and my grandma that I was pretty cute, but that this almost-stranger would so quickly and blatantly show an interest in me felt… exciting.

As we chatted further, I suddenly found myself noticing how blue his eyes were. Isn't that cliché? Oceanic blue. I didn't even mind the way that the bleach he had used on his already fair hair had left a slight yellow hue in places. Looking back now I would liken it to falling under a spell. Not that Ace wasn't a handsome guy, in fact, of all the Cobra's he was the most obviously handsome; lean and sleekly dressed, not too short or too tall, with an almost cat-like quality to his features. But there was something else about Ace; a self-assuredness that proved most irresistible of all. The kind of demeanour that said 'If you don't like me, well, then to hell with you". Many young men have this quality, still too young to know that we never really know ourselves at all. They are usually the 'rebel' of their school or small town; the type of boy that parents hope their daughters won't fall for, or that the upstanding members of society say will come to no good. Sadly, he would prove them right.

It is that unshakable sense of self that pulled me in that day like a sudden tide. I had never developed a crush on anyone so quickly, and I was all of suddenly totally unsure of what to do or say apart from pretending that I wasn't feeling anything at all. I answered all his quips as swiftly and cleverly as I could, attempting to give nothing away, all the while more and more conscious that we were speaking only to one another, and not engaging with anyone else at all.

"Yo Ace!" Charlie called out from the other end of the table out of the blue. "We going fishing or what, huh?"

Ace looked up at Charlie, not hiding his mild irritation.

"You on the clock, bud?" he asked flatly.

"No, man, it's just…" Charlie back-pedalled. "You don't want to get to the lake and see some other assholes in our spot, right."

"Yeah, it's a nice day," Phoebe decided to speed things up. "The lake could get a little crowded."

And with that the Cobras having less luck with the ladies (those circling Phoebe and Linda) began murmuring in agreement, suddenly concerned that there would be nothing to be gained at all from this afternoon, while Ace and Vince remained less concerned.

"Well, how would you ladies care to join us for some fishing?" Vince suggested, trying to keep his tenuous grip on Wanda's attention.

"Sure!" she chimed, forgetting our previously agreed lie.

"Wanda," Linda gently chided. "What about our sewing?"

"Oh… yeah," Wanda deflated slightly.

I found myself quietly annoyed by this. In their defence, we had set this plan in motion hoping for a swift getaway from these interlopers, but now I was less enthusiastic. The logical part of my brain had been switched off temporarily, and I was functioning solely on teenage hormones; so the irrational fear that this silently thrilling feeling would have to dissipate became all consuming. I couldn't stop myself.

"Well, Wanda and I are nearly done anyway," I blurted out. All three of my friend's heads popped up at my dissension; Linda -seething, Wanda -confused, Phoebe -bemused.

"Donna," Linda cautioned. "This is a pretty big assignment…"

"I know," I countered. Not really sure what else I could say at the moment. I could feel Ace's knowing eyes on me. I had completely taken the bait and I sensed he knew it. I prayed that I wouldn't turn red.

"If you and Wanda are nearly done then why not take the afternoon off," Phoebe finally cut in. "Me and Linda will go home and try to catch up."

I'm not really sure why Phoebe decided to diffuse the situation like she did. She obviously sensed my desire to go and pursue whatever I was feeling, and for whatever reason was ok with letting me do that. It was better for Wanda and I to have one another in this situation, and there would be no way we could leave Linda behind and all three go instead. Being the wisest and most pragmatic of us all, Phoebe made the call to stay with Linda and keep up the cover story, while letting us two be idiots.


	3. Too Fast

With Phoebe's diplomacy, the deed was done. Wanda wound up riding shotgun in Vince's car, not Ace's coupe that she had so admired. Nope, I was the one sitting in the coupe right beside Ace. Charlie and Eyeball sat behind us as we drove just slightly too fast, heading towards the fishing lake just a few miles outside of Castle Rock. The main emotion I remember feeling at the time was anxiety. I was anxious I had landed in way over my head. I was anxious that the other gang members were snickering behind my back about the two dumb broads their friends had managed to land. I was anxious that someone would see me and tell my mother I was running with a gang. I was anxious my hair would messed up by the wind in this convertible. As the car sped down the road I found myself falling silent as the guys listened the radio and joked among themselves. I tried to subtly sink low enough to minimise the damage the wind could wreak upon my hair.

"Everything ok here?" Ace asked after a few minutes, having noticed my, admittedly, slightly unusual behaviour. Charlie and Eyeball were mercifully too busy arguing about something unimportant to notice.

"Peachy keen," I replied sarcastically. "I didn't think my hair situation through when I decided to go in the cool car."

"It _is_ a damn cool car," Ace emphasised, with a smirk. "But you got your hair tied back. It's fine."

"Hmmm…" I murmured unhappily. "I'm a girl. I have to be stressed out about my hair."

"I'm not even going that fast," Ace insisted.

"We're going pretty damn fast, Ace," I corrected him, all to aware of how swiftly the world around us was falling behind as we bounded toward our destination.

"This?" he gestured gracelessly towards the outstretched road. "You think this is fast? Really?"

I knew instantly what was about to happen and my stomach lurched unpleasantly within me. I'm sure that Ace could see the colour drain from my face.

"You really think this is fast, Donna?" he reiterated.

"No, Ace," I stammered. "Don't…"

Before I could object, Ace floored his accelerator and we swerved wildly out on to the opposite side of the road until we were parallel with Vince's car. The sudden movement startled the two guys in the back and halted their arguing.

"Jesus Christ, Ace!" Charlie cried out. "Not again, man!"

"You crazy son of a bitch!" cackled Eyeball.

Beside us I could protests being yelled from the other car.

"NO WAY, MAN!" Vince bellowed like a bull. "NOT AGAIN!"

Looking over, I could see Wanda giggling maniacally beside him, clearly thrilled by the whole thing. I had known her all my life and been aware of the wild streak within her, but this was the first time I had ever considered her to be an idiot.

"SERIOUSLY, ACE!" Vince called out over the sounds of the engine. In his eyes I could see real fear, and that frightened me even more than the breakneck speed. The whole thing had become more dangerous and was no longer fun. I froze up completely; pinning myself as tightly to the door as I possibly could. Whatever good it might do me, I had no idea.

"Come on, Vince," Ace hollered back at Vince finally. "Don't be a pussy!"

Vince's fearful expression altered in that moment to one of pained resignation. To him it seemed that saving face was more important than the impending danger. After all, there were girls present. He stepped on the gas and his car began to accelerate, moving slightly ahead of us, which prompted Ace to speed up further. The two cars danced neck and neck, while I hung on for dear life. I could hear voices ring out in a mixture of jeering and pleading around me. I became utterly convinced I was going to die.

What else should I have expected? What was I thinking flirting with gang members anyway? This entire thing had been a giant mistake, and now my senses had returned and I realised what an idiot I was. I had never liked Ace Merrill before, what had possessed me to suddenly grow an infantile crush on him. It was ridiculous but he had some sort of voodoo-like power over girls and I had fallen prey to it, and now I was going to die.

Daring to look up I saw that we were approaching the turn that lead to the country road that in turn lead to the lake. It was a narrow, dirt road and we were hurtling toward it at what felt a million miles and hour. This was it; we were either going to crash into a tree or into each other. I closed my eyes and braced for impact, silently praying that Jesus was ready to accept my soul.

I have no memory of what happened next. My mind is completely blank of any remembrance between that moment and when we finally parked beside the lake. Apparently Ace managed to gain enough ground to cut in front of Vince right before the turn and deftly glided down the road ahead of him, slowing down gradually. I'm certain there was screeching tyres, swearing and cheering that surrounded these events, but like I said, I have no memory of any of it.

The next thing I remember is hearing some laughter and becoming aware that the car was no longer in motion.

"Haha," Eyeball guffawed nearby. "She's out man! She's out cold."

"Wakey, wakey, princess," I heard Ace say, and felt a hand on my shoulder.

I opened my eyes and straightened up, my stomach still doing flips. I fixed a glare at Ace. His spell was well and truly broken. He just smirked back at me, completely unapologetic. My new objective became to get out of there as fast as possible.

The other car pulled up then, and the passengers and driver spilled out. I could hear Wanda still giggling like a little girl.

"Not cool, Ace," Vince chastised his leader, finally feeling ballsy enough. "I'm not gonna fuck up my car fucking racing no more."

"Relax, old man," Ace diffused him. "We're here ain't we? Now get the fishing gear out of the trunk so we can catch something before they're all gone."

Ace and his cronies jumped out of the car, and the gang began collecting and assembling their fishing gear, temporarily forgetting that we girls were also there. Wanda made her way over to me, practically skipping.

"What a riot!" she squeaked at me, oblivious to my rage.

"Are you serious?" I snapped, trying to keep my anger to a whisper. "Those douchebags could have killed us."

"Calm down, Donna," Wanda looked at me incredulously. "It was fun. There were no other cars on the road. You're so uptight."

"It's not funny, Wanda," I retorted, utterly seething now. "That was too much. These are not good guys, ok?"

"You're being over-dramatic," she rolled her eyes at me. I've never ever hit anyone in my whole entire life; but I was one second from slapping her right then.

"We need to leave," I insisted.

"What?" she gaped. "Are you serious? We just got here. How would we even leave, Donna? Do you want to walk all the way back to Castle Rock? Hitchhike?"

"I cannot hang out with these jerks," I hissed.

"Hey Wanda!" Vince called out from closer to the lake. "We've got beer. You want some?"

"Sure!" she turned from me and beamed at him. "Just a second."

She turned back to me with that dumb grin of hers, waiting for me to return a smile. I did not. She held it for a second, but the resigned, realising that I was too mad to be reasoned with and would be able to have fun with her. Her face dropped slightly and she shrugged at me as if to say ' _what am I supposed to do?_ ' before turning again and walking towards the boys. I remained in the car, absolutely determined to stay there until I would be taken home.

Everyone ignored me for a good hour.

I sat alone in the car, while everyone else joked round the lakeside, having fun and catching zero fish. I won't lie to you, my resolve started to crack. Why had no one acknowledged I was snubbing all of them? I was still within eyesight of them all, in fact I was looking over at them nearly the whole time. They were all having fun as if I didn't even exist. My anger dissipated into annoyance at being ignored, which then turned into embarrassment, which in turn became neurosis.

Was I making too big a deal out of this? I mean, it was really scary, but they guys were obviously really good drivers, so maybe it really wasn't that dangerous. Am I too uptight? I didn't think I was. I mean, I was hanging out with a group of hoodlums; that's not uptight. I wasn't a prude, was I?

I sat in the warm spring sunshine stewing in my own self-doubt, debating whether or not I should leave the car and join everyone else in having fun.

' _No!_ ' I told myself. _''You've been sitting here for nearly an hour, it's going to look even stupider if you go over there now. It's been too long, you idiot!_

I was damned if I did, and damned if I didn't. I was well and truly stuck, and knowing my luck they would be fishing for hours yet. Maybe I could sneak off without anyone noticing? Get back to the road and walk six miles back to town, or hitchhike like Wanda said.

' _Nope_ ', my inner voice stopped me yet again. _'That's even more crazy than staying here.'_

As I sat in the car, internally agonising over all my life choices, I didn't notice Ace approaching.

"So…" he began, making me start slightly, and breaking me out of my stupor. "You just going to sit in the car?" He held out a beer to me, still smirking. I was beginning to think that smirk was just his natural resting face.

"Or what?" I tried to save face, rejecting his beer offer. "Go watch you fish for hours?"

"That was kind of the original plan," he reminded me.

"Until you showed me what giant asshole you are," I countered. I was not going to lose ground to Ace Merrill.

"Come on," he laughed. "You're that scared of a little speed?"

"That was dangerous," I snapped back. "And it's not funny."

He paused for a moment, as if considering his response. I'd got him. I'd won.

"Your hair still looks good, though," he offered.

Despite myself, I laughed. It wasn't even funny.

"You're so stupid," I said meekly.

"You really don't want to watch us fish?" he tried again.

"I really don't," I replied flatly.

"Ok," he shrugged. "What do you want to do, Donna?"

My brain told me that I should ask to go home. It would ruin Wanda's afternoon and be slightly embarrassing all round, but it would be the right thing to do. But once again, that strange enchantment was falling over me and it was like my brain was yelling at me from far behind as I was already walking towards trouble. I suddenly felt that same pull: the intoxication of a teenage crush.

I know now, from my middle age, that this was my first true physical awakening. While Frankie and Johnny had been the first relationships that had taken me, baby-steps, into womanhood; this crush on Ace gave me my first real sudden physical urge for another person. My previous sexual experiences had been gradual things that I had come around to, or done because I wanted my boyfriend to be happy, or because I felt it was the natural course; but this was the first time _I_ wanted something. His young male arrogance and recklessness, his deliberate physicality, his non-classic beauty. I didn't understand it at 17, but hindsight is a powerful teacher. As a result, I have never been able to judge any young woman who has fallen into the claws of a 'bad boy'.

"I want to leave," I forced myself to say. It was the right thing to do.

"All right," he nodded, giving me look like he was considering what I said carefully. "Let's leave."

"Really" I couldn't quite believe it. It was a little disappointing.

"Sure," he moved towards the car door. "Whatever the lady wants after all."

He opened the door, and slid in beside me, closing his door and pulling out his keys. Deftly he started the car with a rev, startling those by the lake.

"Hey Ace, where you going?" one of them called out as Ace ignored them, reversing his car and turning it round to head back the way we came.

Within a few moments we had already made it back to the road. I sat beside him slightly dumbstruck. Was he pissed off with me? So pissed off that he was just going to dump me back in Castle Rock and find some other girl who was way more fun to hang out with? I felt like I should say something, but I found myself too anxious to speak to him.

"Now," he began once we were well and truly on the road again. "Where are we going?"

"My house is by the presbyterian church on Angler," I muttered, guiltily.

"Nah," he shook his head. "Pass. Where else can we go?"

"You're not taking me home?" I asked, confused now.

"You don't want to go home, Donna," he informed me. He was right, but I was unnerved that he knew that.

"Where are we going?" he asked again.

"I don't know, Ace," I stammered. "I'm kind of confused right now."

"How about Bailey's field?" he suggested, his eyes never once leaving the road.

"Ok," I was losing the ability to think by this stage.

With a smile Ace did a u-turn and began to drive, once again too fast, towards our new destination.

Bailey's field was exactly what it sounds like. Phillip Bailey was an elderly farmer who had long since given up on tending or guarding his property, preferring to now spend his days at his daughter's home in the neighbouring town of Elver. As a result, his largest field was left grassy and untouched, no longer occupied by sheep. It was the perfect place for bored and wayward kids to camp, or have parties, or bring their dates. It was the best worst kept secret in the county. Deep down I knew Bailey's field would be the point of no return, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Everything was happening at a much faster rate than I had ever known.


	4. Hood (NSFW)

Pulling up to the field, we saw that luck had allowed the gate to be left open, and Ace drove straight in, slowing at last for the bumpier terrain. He chose to park beside the chestnut tree near the far corner. We had driven largely in silence for most of the journey, most noise coming from the car radio playing the latest hits of the day. Ace finally parked the car and applied the handbrake.

"Better?" he finally turned to address me again.

"I guess," I replied meekly. In truth, it was. The field sat on high enough ground that it gave us a view of the Royal River and surrounding woodlands that was undeniably beautiful.

"So we're pals again?" he asked, grinning.

"Best pals," I assured him sarcastically. I was gathering up my nerves again.

"Good," he beamed, and with that he slid over to my side of the car and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

In hindsight, I should have at least tried to look resistant to save some face, but the thrill of the new feelings I was experiencing was too enthralling. I leaned in to the embrace, happy to have his arms wrap around me, and brought my arm to rest on his torso. It all felt so mysteriously natural. As my hand lay on his stomach, I could help but long to feel the skin beneath his black t-shirt. I was close enough now to take in his smell; musky and smokey. Goosebumps rose on my arms.

Taking this cue, Ace leaned into and kissed me; not tentatively, but eagerly, and I returned his enthusiasm. We kissed with growing ardor for several minutes, not like the inexperienced adolescents I had known before, but like real lovers. I ran my hands up and down his chest and neck, not wanting to miss an inch, while his right arm held me firmly in place, while his left cupped my face. Decades later, the memory of that first kiss can still make me shiver.

"You are some girl," he said in a breathy voice, in a moment of brief respite.

"Well, this sure beats fishing I think," I responded. He chuckled in response, and brought us together again.

His left hand left the side of my face and moved down to my breast. He began to firmly massage it, and through my shirt and bra I felt my entire body flush at the touch. I gave into my own longing, and gently tugged on his t-shirt until it rose up enough to allow my hand underneath. I felt the smooth skin and firm muscles on his abdomen. His kiss became stronger at this, and it prompted him to begin to slowly open the buttons on my blouse, working from my collar all the way down until it opened completely for him, whereat he resumed his massaging of my breast. A few moments later he slipped his fingers beneath the fabric of my brassier, gently teasing my bare flesh with his touch. As his thumb playfully danced around my nipple I felt fire beneath my flesh and I let out a breathy sigh. I was no virgin, but no one had ever touched me like this before. Between my legs began to ache beautifully, anticipating what it desired.

I brought my own hand higher on Ace's torso to his chest, finding his nipple and teasing it in turn. His grip on my waist tightened, and I knew he was as pleased with that I was doing as I was with what he was doing.

"Lower," he whispered.

I obliged, gently tracing the hand down his chest until it rested on his thigh. Despite the denim, I could feel he was already swollen in the same way my womanhood had begun aching. I placed my hand where I knew he wanted me to, feeling it's growing size. He removed his hand from my breast to unbuckle his belt and unbutton his fly; his need growing almost unbearably. Once it was open he guided my hand to his member and I began to massage it over his boxers. He returned his hand to the breast he had left exposed, while I moved my mouth down to his neck. Sliding my hand beneath the fabric I took hold of him and firmly moved my hand up and down. Ace dropped his head back, reclining as he enjoyed what I did.

I may not have been the most experienced girl in Castle Rock, but luckily for me (and for him) this was not rocket science. The sense of control I had now thrilled me. This was by far the most irresponsible thing I had ever done. I had started out the day thinking I would just be hanging out with my friends, and then later on visiting my grandma as per every other Saturday of my life; and now I was being my parents worst nightmare in a deserted field.

After some moments Ace stopped my hand with his.

"Wanna keep going or go further?" he asked me with the casual air of someone asking me what I wanted off a menu.

"Um…" I hesitated.

 _I shouldn't do it. It's a bad idea. When word gets out that I've fooled around with Ace Merrill I'll never live it down._

"Sure," I nodded.

 _It's too late anyway, I'm already rubbing him off in a field. And people know I'm here anyway. To hell with it._

"You got a rubber?" I asked, before he could move. I may have been dumb but at least I wasn't stupid.

"Seriously?" he groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, seriously," I informed him. "If there was a race for herpes in this town you might just be the winner, Ace."

"That's a hell of a compliment," he retorted, leaning back away from me know. "You know, that ain't really an attractive way for a girl to talk."

"Maybe," I shrugged. I wasn't about to let him talk his way out of this. There was no way I was going to risk getting pregnant, or having an embarrassing trip to the doctor with my mom for the sake of spontaneity.

"Listen," I decided to reason with him. "You either wear a rubber and have sex, or don't wear a rubber and don't have sex."

"And you walk all the way home by yourself," he tried to threaten.

"Well, I wouldn't want to be in the car anyway if you're going be driving with that," I snapped back, pointing to the unfinished business I had left on his lap.

He gave me a look, silent for a moment, as if trying to decide how he wanted to proceed. It made me nervous. Thinking about it, I realised that I was alone with him very far away from anything and anyone else. Maybe I was stupid after all.

"All right, Donna," his shoulders relaxed. "But you better get ready."

With that he leaned over to my side and popped the glove compartment open, rummaging around for a few seconds. I felt relief, but I could not relax. Eventually he found what he was looking for.

"Get on the hood," he told me, nodding his head towards the front of the car.

"You have got to be kidding me," I retorted.

"Nope," he opened his door. "You got your condom, so I get my thing."

"What if the engine is still hot and I burn my ass?" I asked him, refusing to move.

"Just do it," he told me with the tone of a fed up teacher.

"Can't we just do it _inside_ the car?" I whined. "Pleeeeease."

"Get on the hood," he ordered flatly; a man clearly tired of waiting. "I'm gonna make you cum."

That strange threat he gave me may sound too aggressive to you, but to my hormone-riddled teenage self it was the most compelling argument he could have made at the time. I meekly complied, and removed myself from the vehicle and walked to the front. Ace vacated his side and waked to the front as I gently climbed onto the hood. It felt warm against my bare legs.

"I just really don't want to scratch your…" I tried to tell him.

"Donna. Shut up," and with that he kissed me, hard and rough. The kind of kiss that they still didn't show us in movies at that time.

He pulled himself in, so that he stood between my legs, and I instinctively held onto to his sides, bringing him near, resisting nothing. Knowing what he would want, and what I too admittedly wanted, I pulled off my already opened blouse for him. He yanked down the straps of my bra and brought the whole thing down off my breast to my waist, leaving me exposed to him. He wasted no time, massaging both as we kissed on. I wanted to expose him in the same way, and so pulled up his shirt. He obliged, lifting up his arms so I could take it off fully, letting me see his lean and muscular chest and stomach in full. I wanted nothing more than to feel his skin on my skin then, and guided his body closer to mine so that his chest and mine were pressed together. I kissed him with more fervour than any other boy had inspired in me.

He edged back slightly, only to pull up my skirt and allow his hand to creep up between my thighs. Goosebumps rose all over me. He wasted little in hoisting me up enough with his free hand to pull off my underwear with the other. Bringing them down my legs, he pulled them off completely before throwing them over my head to the interior of the car. It made me giggle like an idiot.

He returned to kissing me then, but his right hand crept under my skirt to where I was now uncovered. With an impressive deftness he found the sweetest and most sensitive part of me and began to massage it with the same intent as he had my breasts. It was bliss. The most agonising bliss you could think of. I was wet like spring down there, and the slickness allowed his fingers to move so beautiful around my clitoris that I could not help but moan and sigh uncontrollably at his touch.

"I'm gonna make you cum," he repeated, whispering in my ear. The feeling intensified from within me. The blissful agony became an intangible tightness beneath his hand. Unthinkingly I grabbed on to the bicep of his arm, prompting him to take things further. He manoeuvred his hand so that his first two fingers slid inside my opening with ease, and his thumb remained circling my clit. His mouth found my neck, making the pleasure feel almost all encompassing. The two fingers inside slid back and forth, cleverly kneading just the right place within me. Unable to stop myself, my sighs turned to cries of pleasure. Neither Frankie Kelliher or Joh Helden had ever done anything even remotely like this to me.

The sensations grew steadily within me, as if I was becoming full to bursting. I knew I was so close. Those moments were utterly blinding to me. There was no thought or fear that could penetrate the sheer physical joy I was experiencing. I was filling up. It was coming. Yes. Yes, it was coming. I gripped with all my might, feeling like all the air in me was being squeezed out. Yes. It's coming. It's here.

And with that, Ace stopped was he was doing and removed his hand from me. The ecstasy dissipated and I was left feeling empty.

"What the hell, Ace!" I asked, dismayed. He merely laughed at me. I looked at him in disbelief; briefly hating him for one split second.

"Come on," he reasoned. "It ain't over yet."

He undid his trousers again, opening the fly of his jeans just enough and pulling his cock from within. It was still hard but had softened slightly as he had been preoccupied with me. He made a show of pulling the condom from his pocket for me.

Not wanting to wait too long, I took hold of his member again and gently began to move my hand slowly up and down while he opened the wrapper and removed the condom. The slight grunt he made quietly indicated his enjoyment to me.

"Whatever the lady wants," he remarked to me, smiling evilly, bringing the condom down to my hands. "Care to do the honours?"

I took it from him and brought it to his cock. Pinching the top, I carefully rolled it down over him, while his hands caressed my bare shoulders. When it was ready and in place, I brought my hands to his face and pulled him in to kiss me. He then guided himself inside me.

It hard to describe the odd satisfactory feeling that came when I felt him enter inside me. It felt so filling, even though he was not abnormally large, and so complete that it filled me with inexplicable emotion. The blood in my body was boiling.

After a moment's pause he began to move, grinding back and forth, and I returned to the moment. I reciprocated his movements, complimenting them with own, feeling his hot breath on me. I had not enjoyed the actual act of sex before with my former lovers. They had brought me enjoyment in other ways, but largely the act itself had solely brought them satisfaction. But this was different. Every inch of me wanted Ace at that moment, and our bodies mysteriously worked together, despite how little we knew of each other. I moaned and moaned with each wave of pleasure that came through me, and his breathing grew heavier and heavier, occasionally becoming a grunt. His thrusting was bringing back the feeling I had felt before without stimulating my clit, and I returned his hand to my breast wanting to spread the pleasure around my body. Ace went a step further, wrapping his arm around my back to lift me high enough to bring my breast to his mouth. I cried out, as he kissed and sucked the soft flesh, before teasing my nipple with his tongue. The cries turned to gasps as it felt like electricity had filled up my body, he thrust inside me harder than before and every muscle in my body tightened all at once.

A loud cry escaped from me as I came hard, my back arching back as he continued his delicious assault on my nipple. The muscles inside me tensed around his throbbing cock. He couldn't be inside me enough, I wanted to utterly consume him in me. His thrusts never relented, but he began to moan also and his pace quickened. He stopped kissing my breast now; fully consumed by his own rapture. I brought myself up slightly and put my hands down the back of his jeans, exposing his firm rear and rubbing him. His pace became even harder and faster. Inside me, I could feel how hard he was throbbing as a more steady physical bliss and contentment took hold of me.

I wanted him to come as hard as I had; for his taut body to tense and for him to cry out because of me. I was ravenous for it. I looked down and watched where are bodies became one, and then up to his face to watch the feeling overwhelm him. His eyes met mine, and I saw sweat begin to glisten on his forehead. His eyes held a mixture of need and power.

"It's so fucking good," I moaned, sensing what he wanted of me.

"Yeah?" he breathed.

"So good," I repeated. "You're so deep inside me."

He let out a sigh, unable to stop himself.

"I'm so close," he groaned. "I'm gonna cum."

"Fuck me harder, Ace," I told him, not even knowing who I was saying these things. "Cum inside me."

With a few more deep, rough thrusts his entire body tensed and he let out a husky moan. He jerked a couple more times with a grunt and I knew he had finished. A wave of satisfied euphoria engulfed me.

I've had a pretty wonderful sex life since my teenage years, but I've only experienced truly earth-shattering sex a handful of times, and that day in Bailey's field was the very first time.


End file.
